Richard Agar: Why I left Wakefield

Former Wakefield coach Richard Agar says a desire to compete was the reason for his departure from the Wildcats yesterday.

The French national coach, who is Trinity’s 10th longest serving boss, revealed he had made his decision to step down a month ago and insisted it was not related to a run of poor results.

Agar told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I told them a month ago I was going to look for a move at the end of the season and could I be released from the remaining two years of my deal.

“The club has found it hard to compete and as a coach that is frustrating. I understand what happened in the off-season [when financial issues caused several first-team players to leave] and I am not afraid of that challenge at all.

“But the club need to decide what they want to be. Do they want to rebuild the team every year or two, or do they want some stability and to put more into it so they can compete?

“It was not a decision based on results, it was based on the fact the club is about to come into the recruitment period, I felt I have done my time here and I wanted to start looking for a new job.

“I am sorry we didn’t get a result [against Bradford on Sunday]. I would have loved to go out with a 10-point buffer, but it was not to be. It was a tough decision because I have loved my time here, I have really enjoyed it and I have worked with some good people and got brilliant staff.

“But it was a personal decision. I want to compete and that is really hard here, but the club is getting better and it will be able to strengthen in the off-season. I am confident the club will stay up.”

Finally, Agar gave his backing to new boss James Webster, who served under him as an assistant: “He has an extremely smart Rugby League brain and he has got the respect of the players. He knows the players in the squad and he will be smart enough to put his own stamp on it. I wish him all the best.”